Base of Operations: Cave/temple/lamasery/monastery within unspecified region high in the Tibetan mountains (its interior and exterior are covered here and featured throughout the main profile as well)

First Appearance: Fantastic Four Annual#2 (November, 1964)

Abilities: The monks had a number of magical and scientific abilities, only a few of which have been glimpsed.Doom's training demonstrates some of these, and Larin's and Otto's profiles showcase some of their specific abilties, as does Mahatma Doom's and the unidentified monk aiding Doom against Nightmare..

They combined magic and technology for a number of unspecified feats,
developing various advanced devices, only vaguely referenced.

Otto notably could form magical shields and project fatal attacks.

Larin was skilled at creating highly functional androids/humanoid robots of great fighting power.

Their monastery / lamissery is associated with a system of caverns high in the remote mountains of Tibet.

Among the monastery's features are:

Their Great Furnace can
heat metal to the point that it can be forged into armor, etc. They can
also use its fires to magically reverse certain physical
transformation, such as when Doom was transformed into a living statue
by the Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Thanos.

Doom sat atop a throne after the monks acknowledged him as their master.

The top level of their inner sanctum became his
private quarters, in which he installed a compound-screen viewer device to allow him to view broadcasts, etc. across the world.

Upon the outrage of their brothers, they fled
into the Tibetan mountains.

They were referred to by at least one
source as "Wise Ones."

(Fantastic Four Annual#2 (fb) - BTS / Fantastic Four I#278 (fb) - BTS) - This unidentified, mysterious
order of monks dwelled in secrecy and seclusion in a lost mountain
cave for over nine centuries without having an outsider approach their
caverns.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - For centuries, the monks had combined magic and
technology almost instinctively, creating devices the outside world
could only dream of until recent years.

(Books
of Doom#3 (fb) - BTS) - The monks had long foreseen that "a man who lost everything, who
hid his true face from the world, would come to their temple to
learn their ancient secrets; and that man would become their master."

(Fantastic
Four Annual#2 (fb) - BTS / Fantastic Four I#278 (fb) - BTS / Books of Doom#4 (fb)- BTS ) - Victor von Doom was caught in an explosion (of his device used to contact his mother, Cynthia von Doom, in the netherworld) that
scarred his face and led to his expulsion from Empire State University.

(Books
of Doom#3 (fb)) - After von Doom returned to eastern Europe, one of the monks
posed as drunken man named Otto, who frequently slept on von Doom's
stairwell, despite instructions to the contrary.

(Books
of Doom#3 (fb)) - Otto gave von Doom's lover, Valeria, a flower, which
protected her from a subsequent attack by KGB agents trying to
force von
Doom to serve them.

Otto was mortally wounded stopping these men, and he only had time to
tell von Doom of his order's prophecies and that they dwelled high in
the mountains of Tibet.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - Doom spent months combing
the villages along the base of the mountain range, searching for those
who knew of "the temple in the mountains." Those he encountered knew
little, such as a man whose grandfather had spoken of the monks he
sought, although he had never told where they resided.

(Marvel
Graphic Novel: Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom: Triumph and Torment (fb)) - At
some point, Doom learned of and traveled to the abode of the Aged
Genghis.

Realizing Doom sought sorcerous training, Genghis dismissed
him as he no longer taught.

When Doom became forceful, Genghis
continued to refuse to teach, but told Doom of an order of holy men in
high Tibet..."among them you will find your destiny."

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - Doom spent more months translating ancient
scrolls and tablets, sifting through religious "drivel" for the answers
he sought, until at last he found reference to the "Wise Ones" in a charred parchment form
600 years earlier.

A crude sketch mapped their theoretical
location, high above a nearby temple.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - Realizing he was following a guess made over
half a millennium ago, Doom nonetheless acted upon this in hopes of
finding his apparent destiny. Though the harsh climate was far beyond
what he had endured in the Latverian alps, and he realized that the
snows and clouds could be blocking his sight, Doom persisted, aided by
technology to keep him warm and to clear away blocked passages; despite
his inventiveness and his willpower, the mountain nearly broke
him.

Plagued by visions of the Hell-lord demon Mephisto tormenting his
mother and eventually running out of food, Doom continued on for days,
wandering and always climbing upward. He narrowly survived an encounter
with a Yeti before cannibalizing his last piece of technology to create
a fire and bandage his wounds.

Certainly weakened, Doom continued, feeling he must be close, though he
soon felt his wounds open and begin hemorrhaging anew. Eventually, he
collapsed, wondering if he would die, frozen in the snow, like his father, Werner von Doom.

(Fantastic
Four Annual#2 (fb) / Fantastic Four I#278 (fb) / Books of Doom#4 (fb)) - The fallen von Doom was
taken in by the mysterious order of monks.

(Fantastic Four I#278 (fb)) - One
of the monks noted that the man was nearly dead of hunger and cold and
urged his brothers to tend to him.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - Seeing his bandages face, at least one of the monks suspected this must be the man prophesied.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - A week later, Doom awakened with his wounds healed.
As he wandered from his room, the monks happily noted his survival and
gathered their numbers to greet him.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - As Doom's studies wore on, he began to lean again
toward science, but this time with the eyes of one who had seen that
nothing was impossible...that no laws of the world were absolute.

(Fantastic
Four Annual#2 (fb) / Fantastic Four I#278 (fb) / Books of Doom#4 (fb)) - Eventually,
after five years, the monks noted that they had taught him
all they knew and that he had learned well.

They hailed him as their better
and as "master," noting that he grew beyond them and his mind
sought answers to questions they had yet to ask.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - Doom took a group (three) of monks with him as he
visited the people in villages at the mountain bases as he surveyed how
the world and people had changed, and as he gathered supplies for his
future endeavors.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - Upon return to the monk's sanctum, Doom established
the top level of its inner sanctum as his private quarters, and he and
his servants built a device with which he could observe the whole world.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - The monks noted that their master was becoming more eccentric.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - Observing that Vladimir (the former Baron who had caused Werner von Doom's death) was now Latveria's king and
that Reed Richards was lauded as perhaps the world's smartest man, Doom
concluded that Richards had sabotaged his work and caused his failure
and injuries.

Though some of the monks found Doom's behavior odd, Larin and
others always knew that he would not be like other men.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - To block what he believed was Mephisto causing
him to be plagued by images of his past history and frailities, Doom
resolved to forge a suit of armor to serve as a second skin.

Adaptive
technology would line the inner working of the armor, and an
enchantment would seal it from demonic influences, blocking Mephisto
from his dreams; however, the cold metal on his skin would remind him
of Mephisto's existence and that he held his mother's soul captive.

As they placed his armor, the monks noted it was like none ever worn by mortal man and asked if it pained him, but he
assured them pain was for lesser men.

As they raised his mask, one of
the monks cautioned that it had not completely cooled yet, but another
monk admonished the first, instructing him to be silent as he noted
that the master would tolerate no further delay:

Doom then noted how only he could remove the mask via the ring on his middle
finger.

The Monks confirmed his wishes that they would cover the ring
with special herbs, camoflaging it so none would see it.

Von Doom noted that the monks had served him well, as all men would do
some day.

Dr. Doom assembled and donned his flying harness (see comments).

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - Doom took with him Larin, one of his most faithful
servants, to aid him in his task of conquering Latveria.

Larin noted
that he was honored to have been chosen to assist his master, and Doom
replied, "Of course you are." They left in a flying platform.

(Fantastic
Four Annual#2 (fb)) - One of the monks wondered if he would ever return, another
noted that none could truly say, as Doom would follow his own destiny,
and a third noted "Woe to the world, now that Doctor Doom is born!! (see comments)"

(Books
of Doom#5 (fb) - BTS) - In Latveria, Doom and Larin swiftly established
a base of operations in an old abandoned castle, over looking a small
village, long-abandoned after the deaths, in one night, of all the
children who lived there (presumably an example of Vladimir's tyranny).

(Books
of Doom#5 (fb) - BTS) - Doom and Larin built the weapons they needed and gathered the people around them.

(Books
of Doom#5 (fb)) - Doom told Larin of his plan to more quickly
accomplish his goals by assembling his Zefiro family (the gypsy clan
amongst which he was raised).

(Books
of Doom#5 (fb)) - When Valeria visited Doom and questioned if the armor
kept out the dreams of his mother, Doom had Larin show Valeria out.

(Books
of Doom#5 (fb) - BTS) - Presumably with Larin's aid, Doom took control of Latveria and was crowned as its monarch.

(Dr.
Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34 (fb) - BTS) - The Chinese army, at least,
learned of the existence and mystic powers of the monks.

(Dr.
Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34 - BTS) - In hopes of reviving Dr. Doom,
who had been turned into a charred "statue" by the Infinity
Gauntlet-wielding Thanos, Dr. Strange and Dr. Druid brought the Doom
statue to the monks' cave.

The monks sensed the approach of
their former master and they activated their great furnace and then
traveled to the mouth of their cave to greet him.

(Dr.
Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34) - The monks welcomed Strange (via a
translation spell woven by Strange, the monks, or both; see comments), who levitated
Doom's inert form inside the cave, where the monks could examine him
more closely.

They traveled to the great furnace, into which the monks
placed Doom's charred form, believing its mystic fires could reverse
Thanos' transformation.

The monks were surprised to see their master in
such a helpless state, but Strange calmed them by noting that the one
who had felled Doom was like unto a god.

When three
of the Monks greeted them, however, the soldiers shot one of the
monks, dropping him.

(Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34) - Hearing
gunfire outside the cave, Strange and Druid left the monks to tend to
their master, as they checked on the disturbance.

While one of the
monks noted that his fellow monk was but welcoming them, the soldiers
demanded the monks, or Strange or Druid, whom they recognized as
sorcerers by their garb, end the near ice age.

After Strange insisted the soldiers depart, he was forced to use the
Shield of Seraphim to protect himself, Druid, and the monks from the
soldiers gunfire.

Perhaps because Strange was not present to control Doom's mystical
transformation, unbearable heat suddenly issued forth from the great
furnace, which exuded black tendrils; nonetheless the monks refused to
abandon their master.

As Strange used Raggadorr's rings to contain the soldiers, they heard
the shouts from the monks inside the cave and headed back in to
investigate.

Strange
and Druid returned to the cave, where they found a giant, shadowy Doom figure
present, which Strange noted to be Doom's shadow-self: All the feelings
and urges he ever repressed, embodied and free at last. When Druid
speculated that Doom's shadow would be good, the shadow-self agreed,
noting that it could not let them reconstitute and revive the evil Doom.

Ignoring Strange and Druid's arguments about how Doom was needed to
save the universe, Doom's shadow-self tried to destroy them to prevent
their interference in its goal of destroying Doom's body. Ultimately,
however, Doom revived, and his power, combined with Strange's and
Druid's, dispatched Shadow-Doom/Doom-Shadow, thrusting it back within
Doom himself.

The monks
stood silently as Doom agreed to join forces with the heroes against
Thanos, after which Strange and Druid departed, leaving Doom there;
Strange would summon him at the proper moment against Thanos.

(Marvel
Comics Presents#100/1 (fb) - BTS) - Plagued by nightmares caused by the
demon Nightmare and frustrated by the failures of his agent Dr. Tinner,
Doom summoned an unidentified member of theTibetan mystics he had led in the past to aid in
resolving the issue.

(Marvel
Comics Presents#100/1) - After Doom suffered another nightmare, he
confronted Tinner, denying his offer to take his own life and instead
directing him to continue his work under the supervision of "this one"
(the acolyte/monk).

Doom
instructed the monk not to fail him as he wanted results before his
next sleep, and the monk assured him, "Of course, master. All is
already underway."

(Marvel Comics Presents#100/2-3 (fb) - BTS) - The monk aided Tinner in building a machine to unite Dr. Doom, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine in a dream against
Nightmare.

(Marvel Comics Presents#100/4) - The Monk was connected to Doom while he dreamt and was
killed by a backlash of fear energy when Nightmare confronted Doom, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine.

(Marvel Comics Presents#100/4) - Doom woke up and wanted to punish the Monk for failing him,
but the Monk was already dead.

(Fantastic
Four III#3 (fb) - BTS) - Reporter Isobel Aguirre spent five years
tracking down numerous tips in hopes of locating the order of Tibetan
monks that had given sanctuary to the young Victor von Doom.

(Fantastic
Four III#5 (fb) - BTS) - Crucible petried Aguirre and Clay to more easily get them through customs.

(Fantastic
Four III#5) - In Stockholm, Sweden, a pair of monks serving
Crucible announced that what he had commanded to be done was now in
readiness (presumably the placement of the petrified forms of Isobel Aguirre and her Gordon Clay atop a building).

Pleased, Crucible returned Aguirre and Clay's heads to their organic forms (see comments) and informed them that they would be his agents thereafter, or they would remain as if stone gargoyles.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - An unspecified woman interviewed the monk Larin, who
noted how Doom became more eccentric after constructing his
multiple-screen viewer, especialy after seeing Richards' success.

(Doctor
Strange: Last Days of Magic#1 (fb) - BTS) - Doom returned the monks' kindness by killing them (see comments);
only one survived. Feeling the monks had unknowingly helped unleash a
great evil upon the world, the survivor felt the balance needed to be
restored: He became the sorcerer Mahatma Doom.

(Doctor
Strange: Last Days of Magic#1 (fb) - BTS) - As part of their
efforts to destroy all magic-users, the Empirikul confronted Mahatma
Doom in his Tibetan base.

(Doctor
Strange: Last Days of Magic#1) - Mahatma Doom was able to guide the
Empirikul into calm mediation, but other Empirkul ships then arrived.
As the Empirikul's Lord Imperiator helped shatter the forces of magic
on Earth, Mahatma Doom was captured alongside Chinese sorcerer
Professor Xu.

(Doctor
Strange: Last Days of Magic#1 (fb) - BTS) - With magic fading, Mahatma
Doom and Professor Xu, as well as Russian sorcerer Count Kaoz and
Mexican sorcerer el Medico Mistico were all tied to posts outside Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum.

(Doctor
Strange IV#10) - Aided by Misery, a creature created from all the pain
and negative energies Strange had hid away in his Sanctum's cellar for
years, Strange and the others defeated the Imperikul's Imperiator, and
the Inquisitors fell as well. Nonetheless, the fabric of magic had nearly been extinguished on Earth.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Charles Eber Stone.

Who are these monks?

In Marvel
Graphic Novel: Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom: Triumph and Torment, the Aged
Genghis referred to them as "an order of holy men in high Tibet"

In Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34, Strange calls them a "little-known order of monks."

In Marvel Comics Presents#100, Doom calls them "an order of Tibetan mystics I have led in the past."

In Fantastic Four III#3, they are called "the same order of Tibetan monks who offered sanctuary to a young Victor von Doom."

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry for Doctor Doom calls them "a long lost order of monks."

The
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry for the Enclave calls
them "the Tibetan “Monks of Doom” (who had constructed Dr. Doom’s
armor)."

In Books of Doom, they are referred to as "Wise Ones."

Doctor
Strange: Last Days of Magic#1 calls them "a secret monastery of mystic monks."

Doom killing the monks?

At
first, given how we had seen the monks since Doom's origins, I was
tempted to discount this altogether, but, reviewing all the issues, it
actually makes sense:

Crucible apparently slaughtered perhaps all but two of the monks, whom he forced to save him.

Perhaps Larin stayed in Latveria, quietly (or, at least, behind-the-scenes)
serving Doom as needed; or perhaps he continued to directly serve Doom in some fashion, somewhere.

That would have meant he was not at the
temple/monastery/lamisery when Crucible arrived.

I think Larin would have chosen death rather than serving Crucible, so I would think if he was at the temple/monastery/lamisery, he likely perished or escaped.

Since Larin was still associated with Doom recently enough to have been interviewed
in Books of Doom#4, this would mean that he survived the
slaughter by Crucible (either by escaping or not having been there in the first place).

It IS possible that Larin was one of the two monks forced to serve
Crucible, but I don't think that would have happened.

The fates of the two monks is unrevealed, as there was a change of
writers during the building stories of Crucible (from Lobdell to
Claremont), and they weren't seen (as far as I saw) after #5.

It's possible Crucible killed them, or that they served him
behind-the-scenes, or that he forgot about them. Assuming one of the
two latter options, perhaps the two monks returned to their temple
after Crucible's defeat.

It makes sense that Doom might have returned to the monks' temple at
some point, perhaps alongside Larin. Finding the temple in disrepair,
Doom was apalled to learn how the monks had allowed Crucible to
slaughter and dominate them; it seems pretty Doom-esque that he might
have slain them for what he would perceive as weakness and betrayal.

Even if Crucible had slain the two monks with him, I could still see
Doom slaughtering any surviving monks for allowing Crucible to
overpower them.

Perhaps the slaughter of his brothers would have made Larin question his loyalty to Doom.

Or maybe the discussion about Doom slaying the Monks in Mahatma Doom's
origin was a mistake and meant to refer to Crucible having slain the
monks...

Or maybe there was Secret Wars shenanigans...

Time periods

According to the retelling of Doom's origin in Fantastic Four I#278,
Doom thinks en route "...all these long years, wandering alone..."

Books of Doom#4 had Doom recalling the journey to neither be quick nor easy.

I'm not sure the journey took years, but Doom may have considered
himself to have been alone since first leaving Latveria and coming to
America.

It also noted that he stayed with the monks for years.

Cave vs. temple

I discuss the differences in the appearances and the level of technology, etc. extensively in the sub-profiles on the interior and exterior of the temple.

Who directed Doom to the monks? The Aged Genghis or Otto?

When Genghis was shown to have directed Doom to the monks, that was cool new information.

Books of Doom did not include this information, and instead Otto directed Doom to find the monks.

I don't think the two ideas are mutually exclusive. Perhaps Doom,
unable to find information on the monks instead sought out Genghis, who
gave him a bit more information on how to find them, and that allowed
Doom to continue his journey.

Flying harness or flying platform?

In the original flashback in Fantastic Four Annual#2, Doom departs the
monks' temple alone after assembling his flying harness.

Doom's departure is not shown in the retelling/revision in Fantastic Four I#278.

In the retelling/revision in Books of Doom#4, Doom departs alongside Larin on a flying platform built for two.

Again, I don't think the two ideas have to be mutually exclusive.
Perhaps shortly after departing, Doom realized he could work more
quickly with another set of skilled hands and returned to gather Larin.

Robes

In
the flashbacks in Fantastic Four Annual#2 and the retelling/revision in
Fantastic Four I#278, the monks are shown exclusively in dark robes
that covered most of their bodies, as well as having hoods they
typically wore over their heads.

When seen in Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34, they had the same type
full robes with hoods. There was one image where their robes looked
white, and it may mean they wore white robes when journeying out into
the snow if they wished to avoid detection...or it could have just been
glare/lighting, etc.

In Fantastic Four III#3-5, the monks had red robes that red robes that
left their arms and part of their chests exposed.

In the retelling/revision in Books
of Doom#4, they wore red robes, with some having full robes and sleeves
(and enough cloth to make hoods if desired), while others were
sleeveless.

It makes
sense that they have different outfits they would wear outside in the
bitter cold and/or around the heat/fire (and potential sparks and
embers) of the Great Furnace vs. other areas of their temple that were
more climate controlled.

Hair

In the flashbacks in Fantastic Four Annual#2:

In
the eight panels that showed the monks, they always wore their hoods,
and you couldn't tell whether they had hair or not.

None were shown to have facial hair.

Doom clearly had hair on his head at least at the time he donned his mask.

In the retelling/revision in Fantastic Four I#278:

Some
monks were clearly shown to be bald (shaved head), while some you can't
tell, but there aren't any with bangs or without a receding hairline,
at least.

Some of them do have facial hair, such as a moustache and or goatee.

Doom has shaved his own head by the time he is proclaimed master, and he is bald when he first dons the mask.

In Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34:

The monks are always hooded, but you see enough to think they are all bald or close to it

None of them have facial hair

In Fantastic Four III#3

They are not hooded, and all seen are bald (shaved head)

None have facial hair

In the retelling/revision in Books of Doom#4:

Most are unhooded, many have shaved heads, but at least three have short hair on their heads

None are shown to have facial hair

Otto had hair on his head and was somewhat unshaven, but he was posing as a homeless alcoholic in Europe.

Doom is not shown to have ever shaved his head, and he clearly had hair on his head when he first donned his mask.

I
don't know why I spent so much time sorting that out, it doesn't really
matter. Some had shaved heads, some had hair, some had facial hair...no
big deal.

Woe

In Fantastic Four Annual#2, as Doom departed, one of the monks said,
"Woe to the world, now that Doctor Doom is born!

That's kind of an odd thing for a group of people who worshipped him to
say, but Larin noted that some of the monks were concerned as Doom grew
more eccentric.

Perhaps this was one of the monks who thought Doom was
crazy and dangerous (rightfully so).

And maybe that same monk is one of the ones who later served Crucible...

Or, perhaps he just meant woe in
terms of "trouble" or "trails and tribulations," meaning that the world
was going to be changed by Doom, and it wouldn't be easy for
everyone..and woe to any who opposed him.

The quote is not repeated in the major retellings/revisions.

Fantastic Four I#278 vs. Books of Doom#4

Fantastic Four I#278 was a cool retelling of Doom's origins at the time.

It added a few bits while going virtually panel for panel (changing
perspectives and with minor modifications) in the parts up to and
including Doom including his body armor, and the mask being raised,
steaming from a pot.

Told in 1985, the retelling/revision seems to modernize things a bit from the 1962 original origin.

The retelling/revision suffers, however, in that when the next retelling/revision
occurred another 21 years later, in 2006, in Books of Doom, and some of
the revisions stuck and some were disregarded:

Cave/cavern/temple:

Fantastic
Four I#278 kept the conditions of the cave/caverns/temple very similar
to Fantastic Four Annual#2, but just made them more advanced,
converting natural rock formations and walls to carved architecture,
and with more ornamentation.

Books of
Doom#4 advanced the idea from Fantastic Four III#3 that they lived in a
building/temple, with several floors, but with very ornate
architecture, etc. It did stay with the idea of the temple at least
being built into the mountain. Overall, it seemed, to me, to advance
both the ideas from Fantastic Four I#278 and Fantastic Four III#3.

Monks finding Doom

Fantastic
Four I#278 added dialogue to the scene from Fantastic Four Annual#2 in
which the monks found Doom, with one of them wondering who he might be.

Books of Doom#3 revealed that the monks had prophecied the coming of "a man who lost everything, who
hid his true face from the world, would come to their temple to
learn their ancient secrets; and that man would become their master."

In
Books of Doom#3, the monk known only as "Otto" sought out von Doom as
the prophecied one and instructed him to seek out the monks.

The
monks finding Doom is only peripherally shown, and with no dialogue,
but if one of the monks did wonder who he was, that monk was probably
not the wisest of the Wise Ones. Maybe he just hadn't seen the bandages
on Doom's face...or he was just having a bad day.

Scar and mask

One of the most notable revisions/retcons in Fantastic
Four I#278 was the idea that Doom only had a relatively minor scar on
his face from the explosion (as opposed to be hideously scarred by the
explosion), and that placing the mask on the red-hot mask on his face
is what gave him his legendary facial scars.

It had been noted in the original story that the mask had not completely cooled yet, and the same thing was noted in Fantastic Four I#278, but in the latter retelling, the mask was clearly red-hot.

Further, in Fantastic
Four I#278, you could hear the metal searing his skin, and while Doom
didn't scream out, he was clearly agonized, after which he ran out and
dove into the snow to cool it off.

Re-examining
it, Doom would surely cut off his nose to spite his face given enough
motivation, but this just seems a little overly stupid and
short-sited...plus, if he was going to do this, he could have / should
have just endured the pain in a manner befitting Doctor Doom.

I
don't think Books of Doom ever showed Doom's face after the explosion,
as he was always bandaged, but there's no indication that the injuries
were minor, nor is there any discussion of the mask being too hot; it
is clearly not red-hot, and one of the monks places it on him with bare
hands. Doom does not run out into the snow, but instead proudly
announces he is now and forever Doctor Doom (much like in the original
telling).

It remains to be seen how
many of the revisions/additions from Books of Doom will be retained if
and when another retelling is done in another 21 years.

Actually,
now that I think about it, I'm pretty certain that whatever is done in
the next Fantastic Four movie, which would now be produced by
Marvel/Disney, will become the new version, and rellings will probably
follow that.

A few another points of discussion

With both Strange and Druid having spent extended periods training in
Tibet, it's a little surprising they would need translation from the
monks (or even from the Chinese soldiers) in Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34.

Crucible returned Aguirre and Clay's heads to their organic forms
(that's what it looked like and what was described...perhaps it was
illusion or some form of magic, as a head couldn't survive let alone
function without active blood supply, etc.)

Doom's origins have been told and retold A LOT...I think I covered all
of the retellings of any significance that featured the "Monks of
Doom"...let me know if I missed any...

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS: The Monks of Doom have no known connections to:

MONKS, TOMMY - childhood friend of Peter Parker, encouraged him to climb a
tree at which point he broke his arm--Sensational
Spider-Man III#33

MONKS of the HIDDEN TEMPLE
(Giant One, High Priest) - The Asian order to which Sha Shan formerly
belonged. They cared for Flash Thompson when he was injured in combat,
but were then wiped out by an unwitting American attack on nearby enemy
forces, despite Flash’s efforts. However, Flash was blamed for the
attack and was targeted for assassination, until things were explained
and resolved by Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, who awakened the entranced
High Priest--Amazing Spider-Man I#108

(Dr.
Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34 - BTS) - In hopes of reviving Dr. Doom,
who had been turned into a charred "statue" by the Infinity
Gauntlet-wielding Thanos, Dr. Strange and Dr. Druid brought the Doom
statue to the Monks of Doom's cave. The monks sensed the approach of
their former master and they activated their great furnace and then
traveled to the mouth of their cave to greet him.

(Dr.
Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34) - They traveled to the great furnace, into which the monks
placed Doom's charred form, believing its mystic fires could reverse
Thanos' transformation.

(Dr.
Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34 - BTS) - While Strange was distracted by
members of the Chinese army attacking the monks, unbearable heat
suddenly issued forth from the great
furnace, which exuded black tendrils; these coalesced into Doom's shadow-self: All the feelings
and urges he ever repressed, embodied and free at last.

Considering itself to be "good," the Shadow-Doom tried to prevent them
from reconstituting and reviving the "evil" Dr. Doom.

Ultimately,
however, Doom revived, and his power, combined with Strange and
Druid's, dispatched Shadow-Doom/Doom-Shadow, thrusting it back within
Doom himself.

--Fantastic Four Annual#2

Note: I think the furnace shown in the lamissery interior sub-profile is just a regular furnace, as it bears no resemblance to the Great Furnace.

As far as I could see, the name "Great Furnace" was first used in Dr.
Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34.

Interestingly, the original reference in Fantastic Four Annual#2 described Doom "Using the mouth of a gigantic idol as a makeshift blast furnace."

That may indicate that it had not originally been intended or used as a
furnace, but once Doom had used it in the creation of his semi-magical
armor that it gained some mystical power, and they used it for that
purpose thereafter.

Or not...

I partly did this sub-profile as I couldn't include all of the images. Other images of the Great Furnace are available in the main profile:

The top left image in this sub-profile represents the original appearance in Fantastic Four Annual#2.

The
second image down on the left (the lateral view) in this sub-profile
represents its appearance from the retelling in Fantastic Four I#278.

The top right image in the sub-profile (opening the furnace's "mouth) and the ones here and here
(with multiple monks surrounding the fallen Doom) in the main profile
are from Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34 when it was used to revive
Doom.

The large, bright red image here in the main profile is from the retelling in Books of Doom#4.

There's some artistic license in the design obviously.

Cave/Temple/Monastery/Lamisery exterior

Note:
In Fantastic Four Annual#2 (upper right), the Monks' base was
originally shown to have a cave-entrance into a mountain and to just be
a system of caverns.

In Fantastic Four I#278 (here),
the scene is almost identical to the original, but instead of being a
simple cave, it looks more like carved entrance, with some
ornamentation and totems. Doom verbally describes the temple as "a lost plateau" In Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34 (here),
the exterior certainly looked like a simple cave-opening, while the
only portion of the interior we saw was around the Great Furnace, which
also seemed cavern-like. In Fantastic Four III#3 (lower right), it was shown as a building and described as a temple. In Books of Doom#4 (upper left), it was shown as being a large building built into the side of a mountain. It is also seen as Larin departs with Doom (second image down on left in Larin's profile).

It may be that there was more than one base and more than one sect of
these Monks. Perhaps the ones slaughtered by Crucible represented a
different sect; or maybe they have multiple bases.

It was shown at a different time of year, and it just may have been artistic license.

Regardless, certainly the idea that it was just a series of caverns can
be resolved by considering that the main temple may have caverns
extending to and from it, and that it may have at least one entrance
that looks just like a cave.
I mostly included this sub-profile as I otherwise couldn't include
all of the images in the main profile.

Other images of the exterior of their base are available in the main profile (see the notations above).--Fantastic Four Annual#2

Cave/Temple/Monastery/Lamisery interior

Note: In Fantastic Four Annual#2 (the top left and right images in this sub-profile, as well as the top left image of the Great Furnace, and the throne image), the Monks'
base was originally shown as a system of caverns within a mountain with almost completely natural rock formation.

In Fantastic Four I#278 (here, here, and here),
the scene is almost identical to the original.

Instead of being simple caverns, however, it looks more carved, with man-made pillars and with some
ornamentation and totems.

In Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34 (here),
the interior that we saw looked like simple caverns.

In that issue, we only saw the space around the Great Furnace. In Fantastic Four III#3 (lower right two images), it was shown as a building and described as a temple. There are obviously doors, stairs, etc. In Books of Doom#4 (here, as well as the throne images (with the monks in red), Doom's bedchambers, and multi-viewer), it was shown as being a large building built into the side of a mountain.

There are multiple levels, with ornate decorations, carvings, etc.--Fantastic Four Annual#2

Why the differences in appearance?

The obvious answer is artistic license...

...but what about in-universe explanations?

Each of the flashbacks can be filtered through a different set of memories.

The flashback in Fantastic Four Annual#2 is coming straight from the memories of Doom himself as he visits his mother's grave.

The
flashback in Fantastic Four I#278 represents Doom's memories as
perceived by Kristoff Vernard during the process of imprinting Doom's
memories and persona on him.

The
flashback in Books of Doom#4 represents events as related by a Doombot
and perhaps as perceived by the journalist/writer to whom he was
reviewing his history.

Actual appearances as seen by others occur in

Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#34, in which only the exterior and the chamber containing the Great Forge are seen.

Fantastic Four III#3, in which only outer temple doors and a few rooms are seen.

I think the explanation that makes the most sense is that the temple is
built on and into a mountain. It has multiple levels and multiple
rooms, and it connects to a series of caverns, some of which connect to
external cave-like entrances. Some of the caverns retain their natural
rock construction, while others are carved with various levels of
detail.

It also makes sense that the
differences between Fantastic Four Annual#2 and Fantastic Four I#278
may just represent Kristoff's interpretation of the events. And the
Books of Doom version could be exaggerations to make Doom's past seem
more spectacular. That being said, I really liked
the story in Books of Doom, and I hate to discount any of it as it's
not like there are really direct contradictions...it's mostly just
expansions and new information.

Certainly it
is possible that the monk's use magic to influence the perceptions of
those visiting and/or viewing their temple, etc.

And, of course, some artistic license...

throne

Note:
In the original flashback (from Doom's memories as he visited his
mother's grave) in Fantastic Four Annual#2, Doom was just shown sitting
on some sort of rug (as in the top left image in this
sub-profile) in a cavern of nature rock formation.

When re-told from the perspective of Kristoff Vernard having recordings
of Doom's memories imprinted on him in Fantastic Four I#278 (here), it was very similar, but the rug seemed to be on some sort of padded platform, and the chamber has more ornate carvings, etc.

When seen from the perspective of a Doombot relating the memories to a
journalist/writer in Books of Doom#4, Doom was seated upon a throne in
a very ornate chamber.--Books of Doom#4
I mostly included this sub-profile as I otherwise couldn't include
all of the images in the main profile. I discussed the potential reasons for the differences in detail in the temple-interior sub-profile notes.

Those all apply here, but I think the easiest explanation for here
would be that the rug scenes may reference their first acknowleding him
as their master, and the scenes from Books of Doom could represent a
formal ceremony.

Or something....

Doom's bedchambers

In Books of Doom#4, at least after Doom was named the master of the
monks, Doom slept in an ornate bedchamber with many pillars. These
chambers were within the top level of the temple's inner sanctum.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - Having dreams of his young life, including his
father's death, Valeria's face, and of his mother, Doom became
convinced that this was Mephisto trying to prove that Doom was just a
manner that he could touch at any time. To block Mephisto's influence, Doom
resolved to forge a suit of armor to serve as a second skin.

--Books of Doom#4

Doom's compound-screen viewer

Designed
by Doom and constructed by Doom and his servants in the top level of
the temple's inner scanctum, the compound-screen viewer had receivers
that drew signals from radio waves, satellite feeds, television
broadcasts, and nearly anything else floating around in the ether
around them. It allowed Doom to simultaneously watch broadcasts from
around the world.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - Doom took a group (three) of monks with him as he
visited the people in villages at the mountain bases as he surveyed how
the world and people had changed, and as he gathered supplies for his
future endeavors.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - Upon return to the monk's sanctum, Doom established
the top level of its inner sanctum as his private quarters, and he and
his servants built his compound-screen viewer device with which he could observe the whole world.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - The monks noted that their master was becoming more eccentric.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - Observing that Vladimir (the former Baron who had caused Werner von Doom's death) was now Latveria's king and
that Reed Richards was lauded as perhaps the world's smartest man, Doom
concluded that Richards had sabotaged his work and caused his failure
and injuries.

(Books
of Doom#4 (fb)) - As Doom's studies wore on, he began to lean again
toward science, but this time with the eyes of one who had seen that
nothing was impossible...that no laws of the world were absolute.

--Books of Doom#4

Note:
I made this sub-profile to include these images, as there was too much
going on in that section of the main to include any more images.

The first two images on the left show Doom mastering magical skills.

The image on the right demonstrates the monk's advanced technology,
although it may have been both magic and technology together.